Team Captain Tips
Samaritans 5K Run/Walk for Suicide
Prevention
Grow your team by involving your church, company or other civic organization you belong to. These groups
can participate in the 5K as a part of your team or you can encourage them to form their own team.
Personalize your Individual Webpage
Using fundraising webpages is the easiest way to collect donations. Start by signing up for the Samaritans 5K
at our registration website: www.samaritans5K.org. Once you have registered, the online system will
automatically create a personal fundraising webpage for you. This is true for everyone who registers! To
personalize your individual webpage, click the “Visit Participant Center” link on the top right of the screen
once you are registered and logged in. You can add pictures and text to help tell your story about why you are
walking/running for Samaritans.
Personalize your Team Homepage
As Team Captain, you are also responsible for personalizing your team homepage which tracks team
participants and all team donations. Think of the team homepage as the registration and fundraising center for
your team. It’s the first place that friends and family should come to if they want to get involved. It’s also the
place where your teammates can see who else has registered and how much money has been raised
cumulatively. To personalize this page, login and click the “Team Page” link on the top center of the screen.
Here you can add another photo and include more text about why others should join your team or make a
donation.
Encourage your team members to collect donations in support of Samaritans
Set a goal for the amount of money you want your team to raise, and ask all team members to help collect
donations! Encourage your teammates to personalize their individual webpage and ask them to fundraise. Or
ask them to direct people to the team homepage to sign up or make a donation.
In addition to raising funds from friends and family, local businesses can serve as a great source of funding!
Think about the businesses that you typically go to and try to communicate the advantages that donating may
bring to them. Explain that it’s a great opportunity for visibility! You may also explain that if they agree to
donate $1,000 or more, they will earn general event sponsorship. This will guarantee their name on all
promotional materials, their logo on the back of event apparel, 5 complimentary employee 5k race entries or a
table of 10 at the Breakfast for Hope, and product give-a-way to the 3,000 5K attendees.
Organize a Team T-shirt for your 5K Team to wear the day of the 5K.
Having a team t-shirt is a great way to build team spirit and to have your team stand out the day of the 5K. Try
to make them bright and colorful so they really stand out. Good team t-shirts almost always include both the
team name and “Samaritans 5K”. Memorial team t-shirts have a picture of the person being memorialized
along with some text that evokes their spirit or personality. Many company or organizational teams have
creative team names and slogans that emphasize community service and building awareness about suicide
prevention.
Communicate with your Team and with Samaritans 5K Coordinators. Make sure everyone knows why
raising money for Samaritans and suicide prevention is vitally important to you. Follow-up with your team
members regularly and encourage them on their progress in collecting donations. Consider planning a team
activity to build momentum, such as a pre-5K breakfast or a post-5K barbeque, to make 5K participation
special for your team members.